Expectancy in some U.S. states is lower than in many third-world or war-torn countries, recent data show.
Last May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released statistics compiled over the past few years that indicate that in 2021, the average American could expect to live 76.4 years. This is the lowest average in the United States since 1997.
Life expectancy has declined dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping by just over three years between 2019 and 2021.
In addition to the coronavirus, fentanyl overdoses, gun crimes and suicides are driving the data. Chronic diseases such as obesity are also to blame.
States worse than third world countries
There is also a large disparity in life expectancy between different US states.
While Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey have crossed the 79-year mark, others have average life expectancies that don’t even reach 73.
Mississippi ranks last, with an average age of death of 70.9 years, followed by West Virginia (71 years) and Alabama (72 years). All three states have a lower average life expectancy than Iran (74 years), Palestine (73.5 years) and Syria (72.1 years), according to data from the platform Our World in Data from Oxford University.
Some states, however, fare much better: Hawaii tops the list with a life expectancy of 79.9 years, ahead of Massachusetts (79.6 years), Connecticut (79.2 years) and New York (79 years).
By comparison, life expectancy in Canada is 82.7 years, more than 6 years above the American average and almost 12 years beyond that of Mississippi.
